Development of a CTC (circulating tumor cell) – guided system for discrimination between multiple lung cancer and pulmonary metastases

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462192
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Respiratory surgery
• Research Institution: University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan
• Principal Investigator: IWATA Teruo 産業医科大学, 医学部, 非常勤医師 (00435124)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YONEDA Kazue 産業医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (80724806) ; URAMOTO Hidetaka 産業医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (90389445) ; TANAKA Fumihiro 産業医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (10283673)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 肺癌 / 循環腫瘍細胞 / 多発肺癌 / 肺内転移

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Discrimination between multiple lung cancer (MPL) and pulmonary metastases (PM) is clinically important but is sometimes difficult with routine clinic-pathological and imaging modalities. In the current study, we employed circulating tumor cell (CTC) as a marker for the discrimination. We first used “CellSearch” to detect CTCs in patients with multiple lung nodules and with suspicion of MPL or PM, but the CTC-test did not provide any information for the discrimination because CTCs were not detected in most patients. Based on the results, we have tried to develop more sensitive detection system of CTCs, and developed a novel CTC-detection system with microfluidic device (“CTC-chip”). In experimental studies, the “CTC-chip” system provided higher efficiency in capturing tumor cells than “CellSeach”. We now evaluate CTCs in the blood sampled from patients, and will evaluate the diagnostic performance of the CTC-test with the “CTC-chip” in discrimination between MPL and PM.

Free Research Field

呼吸器外科学